Vogtman trio makes dramatic club debut

Marshall, Shenna top division standings

* Fall Youth League continues Friday, Sept. 8

FROSTBURG — Five of the six players on the course threw better on the back nine than they did on the front nine.

And three of those players were in the process of completing their first scored rounds of disc golf.

The Vogtman siblings of Frostburg — Shenna, Marshall and Tarik — visited Hoffman Park Disc Golf Course for the first time on Monday afternoon to participate in Week 1o of the Allegany County Disc Golf Club’s Fall Youth League. It’s difficult to pinpoint a single highlight from the trio, as the siblings traded highlight reel-worthy moments throughout 18 baskets.

Shenna Vogtman

Boys’ Division

Marshall, 13, led the front nine in multiple facets. He tied Noah Davis, 9, of Frostburg, for the hot first half with a six over par 33. Davis has been playing for just over a year. In the second half, Marshall continued to deliver smooth forehand drives. He managed two birdies and threw for par on seven other occasions.

Little brother Tarik, anxiously awaiting his 10th birthday later this month, crushed the second half. Across all three divisions, five of the six players threw better over the back nine than they did the front nine. But no one improved by as many strokes as Tarik. He needed 37 strokes to get through the first nine baskets but had the best second half of the afternoon on the course of any player under the age of 44. On No. 7, in particular, it seemed that something clicked.

While he struggled his first time through the gauntlet comprised of Nos. 4, 5 and 6 — Tarik required 16 strokes to pass through those obstacles — he needed only 11 the second time around. Tarik finished the front nine by saving par on the final three holes. Though he bogeyed No. 1 on the second lap, he carded the first birdie of his young disc golf life on No. 2. He then managed par on three of the next four baskets and ended his afternoon with a birdie on No. 18.

Marshall took the Boys’ Division win with a nine over par 63. Tarika was second (66), while Davis was a close third (68). Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang, 10, of Frostburg, placed fourth with a 77.

Girls’ Division

Just as a runner does in a footrace, all Shenna Vogtman could do was focus on the competition in front of her.

On Monday, that meant trees. And herself.

The 15-year-old had sole possession of the Girls’ Division and fared quite well. Using a putter and midrange, she struggled with the latter over the front nine and tended to lean heavily on the more-controllable putter.

She replaced her midrange before the start of the second half of play, though, and learned to anticipate the disc’s dance around the many trees.

Shenna threw a 45 over the front nine and improved by four strokes over the back nine to card an 86. She threw for par twice — on Nos. 16 and 18 — and managed bogeys five other times. Nos. 4 and 5 both times around the nine-basket loop proved difficult, as she struggled to stay on the fairway at times. But the experience should prove to be a positive one in the long term: After all, no one on Sunday learned more about scrambling out of the weeds than Shenna.

Men’s Rec Division

Kevin Spradlin, 44, of Frostburg, was the lone competitor in the Men’s Rec Division. He threw a 27 over the front nine but got on track over the second half, tossing a 22 and finishing with a five under par 49.

Spradlin threw four of his five birdies on the back nine and added an ace — on No. 3 the second time around — for good measure. It’s Spradlin’s fifth ace, and fourth in Allegany County Disc Golf Club competition. Spradlin joins Bill Shreve for the lead as each player has thrown four aces in club rounds.

Ace Club members – Allegany County Disc Golf Club

1 — Caleb Campbell, Aug. 8, 2022 at The Glades at Meshach Run (No. 4)
2 — NaTasha Scolaro during Fisher Cup, Jan. 16, 2023 at Ditto Farms (No. 5 short)
3 — Bill Shreve, March 12, 2023 at The Glades at Meshach Run (No. 6)
4 — Bill Shreve, May 14, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 2)
5 — Kevin Spradlin, May 26, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 9)
6 — Kevin Spradlin, July 3, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 2)
7 — Kevin Spradlin, July 3, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 3)
8 — Ethan von Hagel, July 3, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 2)
9 — Gordon Cox, July 22, 2023 at Mile Lane DGC (No. 6 short)
10 — Stephanie Spradlin, July 24, 2023 at Mile Lane DGC (No. 8 short)
11 — Keith Raynor, July 30, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 3)
12 — Bill Shreve, July 30, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 9)
13 — Bill Shreve, Aug. 28, 2023 at Mile Lane DGC (No. 7 short)
14 — Kevin Spradlin, Sept. 4, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 3)